Monday, July 21, 2014

DESTINATION: White Rock, NM

White rock cliffs proceeding the canyon

The third leg of our 2014 southwest motorcycle tour took us just northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, off Highway 4, to the small community of White Rock. White Rock is largely a bedroom community for employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory and their families. From the community's Overlook Park you can see for miles across White Rock Canyon.Carved by the Rio Grande through lava oozed from the Caja del Rio volcanic field on the east bank of the river and the orange tuffs of the Valles Caldera eruptions, the canyon is a geologic masterpiece created by hot rock, landslides, and the mighty river. Averaging 1,000 feet deep from rim to river, the canyon offers spectacular vistas, rugged terrain, and a chance for solitude unmatched in the County. Those features alone would be enough to designate the place as special, but White Rock Canyon hosts rare four plant species, is frequented by at least three endangered species, and most importantly, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (the only canyon in the United States to enjoy such a designation).